POPE ADDRESSES UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY. WARNS AGAINST CRIME AND WAR.

History was made Friday in New York City after Pope Francis addressed the UN General
Assembly.
This is the first time a pope has declared opened such an
event.
In his speech, the holy father renewed his urgent appeal to
the international community to take action to end the
humanitarian tragedies around the world.
He said, “The tragic experiences of the Twentieth Century
and the most basic understanding of human dignity,
compels the international community, particularly through
the norms and mechanisms of international law, to do all
that it can to stop and prevent further systematic violence
against ethnic and religious minorities.
“The violent attacks that are sweeping across Northern Iraq
cannot but awaken the consciences of all men and women
of goodwill to concrete acts of solidarity by protecting
those affected or threatened by violence.”
Speaking further, the Pope said that ethics and a law based
on the threat of mutual destruction and possibly the
destruction of all mankind, were self-contradictory and an
affront to the entire framework of the UN.
“There is an urgent need to work for a world free of
nuclear weapons, in full application of the Non-proliferation
Treaty, in letter and spirit, with the goal of a complete
prohibition of these weapons.
“The recent agreement reached on the nuclear question in
a sensitive region of Asia and the Middle East is proof of
the potential of political goodwill and of law, exercised with
sincerity, patience and constancy.
“I express my hope that this agreement will be lasting and
efficacious, and bring forth the desired fruits with the
cooperation of all the parties involved.
“In this sense, hard evidence is not lacking of the negative
effects of military and political interventions which are not
coordinated between members of the international
community,” he said.
The Pontiff further renewed his appeals on the situation in
the Middle East and other African countries where
Christians, together with other cultural or ethnic groups,
and even members of the majority religion, who had no
desire to be caught up in hatred and folly, had been forced
to witness the destruction of their places of worship.
These realities, he said, should serve as “a grave summons
to an examination of conscience on the part of those
charged with the conduct of international affairs.”
“Not only in cases of religious or cultural persecution, but
in every situation of conflict, as in Ukraine, Syria, Iraq,
Libya, South Sudan and the Great Lakes region, real human
beings should take precedence over partisan interests,
however legitimate the latter may be.
“In wars and conflicts there are individual persons, our
brothers and sisters, men and women, young and old, boys
and girls who weep, suffer and die. Human beings who are
easily discarded when our only response is to draw up lists
of problems, strategies and disagreements,” he said.